Madame SouSou, Fitzroy

It's a dangerous time to be a cartoonist (especially a Danish one). So I wonder how the French will feel about the female caricature adorning the menus at Madame SouSou, 231 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, Tel +61 3 9417 0400.



Dressed in period gear, with one hand up in the air, the other hand appears to be wedged firmly up her derriere. Are they trying to imply that French women have worms? Is that the dirty little secret behind French Women Don't Get Fat?

Assuming it doesn't get ripped apart by rioting Frenchwomen in the weeks ahead, one thing's for sure... this is a good place for breakfast. My SouSou breakfast was anything but so so. Firm, buttery scrambled eggs. Delicious double-smoked bacon. Golden, crumbling, house-made hash browns. Roasted tomato, fresh avocado, and crunchy sourdough toast. Yum yum.



Other interesting items on le menu du petit dejeuner include ricotta pancakes with warmed strawberries, honeycomb, and vanilla bean butter; Madame SouSou's toasted fruit and nut muesli with apple and berry compote, and sheep's milk yoghurt (no, Yoplait isn't really French for yoghurt); and sweet corn fritters with smoked salmon, avocado, tomato salsa and creme fraiche.

Or, if you want to get all French, there's a selection of croissants, with shaved ham, cheese, blah blah blah... and a rather fancy sounding pear, fig and walnut "French" toast, with cinnamon marscapone and clover honey.

The venue is stylish without being stuffy, and the staff look very snazzy in their white aprons and black pants. But if you're on an outside table (as I was), there's a risk of being out-of-sight, out-of-mind. It took me a while to order a second coffee.

My only other comment relates to price. At $17 for the signature breakfast, it's just a tad too expensive to be good value. This is, however, a close call. And I will come back for more.

16/20 "mmm... double smoked bacon"



Eggs & Bacon $11.50 BB100 +15%